Countdown
by y3k
Summary: October 18th 2126: On the eve of Venjix's rise to power, four average teenagers battle the forces of evil as countless others have done before them. What they don't realize is how much they have yet to lose.
1. Chapter 1

**October 18****th****, 2126**

…_and in other news, the UIF taskforce assigned to deal with the Venjix worm problem has reported that it has appeared inside key Brazilian government networks" said the newscaster. He looked to be around his mid-thirties, and blond. "Their attempts to keep it out with firewalls have evidently been unsuccessful. They have also stated not to worry however, as the worm, despite its virulent nature, is benign"_

_The view of the screen flashed to another man, somewhere in his twenties and with black hair and a scraggly beard and sunglasses. He was speaking into a reporter's microphone somewhere outside, with a building behind him._

"_We have no reason to believe that the worm is anything harmful at this point. While we haven't yet been able to break the encryption on the program that it installs on one's computer, this worm is several months old, and has yet to do anything. Still, on the outside chance that this is more then just some kid's prank, we continue to advise that you watch your internet usage"_

_The screen moved back to the newscaster, who was smiling. "More information on the Venjix worm can be found by going to the UIF website. But even if the Venjix virus is an egg unable to be cracked, the legions of the Anthropod army aren't. That's right, today Denver's very own Power Ranger team defeated another monstrous creation of the vile Lord Trill, protecting our fair city yet again from the clutches of evil…"_

***

A red lobster monster flew through the air, propelled by an unseen attack. He collapsed in a heap on the ground several feet away as four multi-colored figures ran towards him. The lead one, red, wielded a long sword. His suit was very angular in design, with golden lines crisscrossing, dividing the areas of red and white on his body, the most prominent being the ornate diagonal lines moving from each shoulder and meeting in the center, leaving the upper chest white. Going up, the lines vanished underneath two golden shoulder pads. Downward, two smaller lines moved down from the chest, meeting up at the golden belt buckle, and then diverging again as they moved down the legs, terminating at the golden ring that made up the top of his white boots. His gloves were similarly fashioned, but with golden wrist guards. On his helmet, above a very angled visor, sat a golden horn, like that of a rhinoceros beetle. In retrospect, his sword was modeled the in the same way, terminating at the end with a fat blade. His beetle-designed morpher sat on his left wrist, ontop of the wrist guard.

The lobster got up just as the red ranger slammed his sword into the creature, causing sparks to fly upon impact. With the blade caught under the monster's armpit, red drove the monster back across the empty rock quarry, until finally letting go and striking the beast with a few more swings of his blade. The lobster staggered back, smoking, and looked up just in time to see more attacks coming his way. A male blue and a female yellow ranger jumped onto red's shoulders and came down on the lobster with a twin kick. The lobster fell over, rolling across the ground again.

The blue and yellow rangers had a similar design on their suits as the red ranger, except that yellow had a white skirt with gold lines on it, streaking down from the belt buckle to another horizontal line lining the bottom of the skirt. Blue's helmet was themed after that of a stag beetle, with twin pincers. Yellow's was that of a Scarab, with a ridge on her helmet. Immediately the two brought out their weapons.

"Stag Lance!" blue shouted, a long lance appearing in his hands. Each end was modeled after that of a stag beetle, with large pincers.

"Scarab Bow!" yellow shouted, bringing out a bow that resembled the front of a scarab. The two rangers proceeded to strike down on the monster as well with powered-up blows.

"My turn!" shouted another male. The fourth ranger, a green one, jumped on red's shoulders as the other two had done moments ago. He was more complex with the others, with his shoulder pads actually forming part of a gold and black shield that covered his entire chest and abdomen. Also, his morpher was notably not on his wrist, but on his belt. His helmet was similar to red's, but with two horns, like that of a Hercules beetle. As he jumped again to attack the monster from the air, his ax gleamed in the sunlight. It was themed after, of course, a Hercules beetle, with two connected horns forming both sides of the ax. His ax charged up, and he swung it down in midair, cutting down across the middle of the monster.

The lobster screamed in agony, his body sparking uncontrollably. The four rangers turned around in a pose as the lobster's legs gave way, and he exploded in a flash of fire and smoke.

"Good work, team" red stated, "Record ti—" his congratulations were cut short by a sudden tremor.

"Here we go!" blue exclaimed, knowing full well what was happening next. The four rangers turned around to see a giant Lobster forming behind the cliff wall.

"Wonderful" sighed red, before shouting "Zord time!"

Almost immediately, another rumble could be felt as four gigantic beetles crawled across the ground towards the rangers and their opponent. They jumped into their respective zords.

"Kabuto Megazord, activate!" shouted red, from his cockpit. The yellow and blue rangers both pressed a button on their console as red did on his, and the zords began to transform. The red rhino beetle flew into the sky, and its head folded back, against the beetle's belly, revealing a human head underneath. The plates that made up its shell separated, and also flipped around to the 'back'.

Blue's stag beetle separated in two, aside from the very back, which extended outward from the shell. Then everything behind the head flipped up, forming legs. The two antlers in the mouth flipped over on top of the head, forming foot armor.

The scarab split in two as well, only connected by the under belly. The two halves adjusted themselves into suitable 'arm' positions, and the belly became a chestplate as the three zords merged. Once all together, a piece from the scarab's rear attached itself to the head, forming a decorative helmet.

"Kabuto Megazord, online!"

"Insectazord, warrior mode!" green shouted from his cockpit. His zord began to transform as well, with legs pulling out from the rear of the beetle, pulling it upright. The shell opened, allowing arms (attached to the legs of the beetle) to fold out before it closed again. The head split open and pulled back, leaving a humanoid head in its place.

"Insectazord, online!"

The two humanoid zords took fighting stances across from the lobster monster, who roared before charging. The Megazord met the challenge first, exchanging blows with the beast before being forced back. The Insectazord followed up, but was knocked down after a quick few blows.

"This is getting us nowhere" red said, "Mantiszord, activate!"

A large green robotic praying mantis emerged, and split apart into pieces, before assembling itself on the Megazord. The Megazord's helmet detached, and was replaced by a new one, courtesy of the Mantiszord. The arms of the Megazord were augmented by the blades of the mantis, and a new piece of chest armor covered the front of the zord. Now armed with two long razor blades, the Megazord struck at the lobster. The monster tried to fight back with its claws, but the blades simply cut through them, leaving it with smoking stubs for hands.

"Lets end this" red said, "Dragonflyzord!"

The mantis armor detached as a new blue robotic dragonfly appeared. It split apart and attached new chest armor and a helmet as the mantis had, along with two large cannons on the Megazord's arms.

"Final Blow!" the rangers shouted in unsion.

The Megazord charged up the weapons, and fired twin blasts of blueish energy, augmented by a rapid pulsefire from the chest armor. The attacks ripped through the lobster monster, which fell over and exploded once more as the two zords took a pose.

***

The living room of the house was dark and silent, the sun having set long ago. A soft creaking noise from the front door opening interrupted that, with the face of a young woman glancing around through the crack before the rest of her body began to slide inside. She looked to be no older then eighteen, with long dark hair and wearing casual clothes. As silently as she could, she shut the door, and snuck upstairs to her room.

Being careful as she sneaked by the door to her parents room, the girl opened the door to hers and turned on the light.

"So…"

"EEP!" the girl nearly jumped out of her skin as she found her very irate mother in her nightgown sitting on her bed. "You scared the crud out of me…" she breathed, trying not to hyperventilate.

The mother was unamused. "Do you know what time it is?" she asked plainly.

"Uh…" the girl looked at the floor, "…late?"

"Yes" replied the mother, "very late. Two hours past curfew late"

"Sorry" the girl said, "We were out studying and we sorta lost track of—"

The mother cut her off with a handwave. "Don't lie, you aren't good at it"

"Why do you never believe me?!" the girl asked, annoyed as she put her hands on her hips. "You never believe me!"

The mother stood up, "You never give me a reason to believe you. Sneaking out every night, never answering calls, disappearing at random intervals, shall I go on? Did you know there was a monster attack tonight, Erin? Where were you when that monster attacked?"

Erin simply looked at the floor. What could she say? 'Well mother, I was fighting that giant monster.'

The mother sighed, rubbing her temples. "Wonderful. You know, you're supposed to be graduating this year, how about you try to at least act your age? Then I wouldn't have to ground you for a week" She walked towards the door, and opened it.

"But—" Erin exclaimed.

"No buts, and shush. Your brother and father are asleep" the mother shut the door behind her.

Erin made a motion of choking someone as she grunted in frustration, before sighing as she plopped on her bed. "I hate my job"

***

**October 19****th****, 2126**

Jeff poked at a cheese cube on his tray with a fork, examining it with intensity. He loved lunchtime, of course, but there was something _odd_ about some of the food the school offered.

A shadow moved over the eighteen year old Korean as he continued to play with his food. "Ahem"

Jeff didn't look at the person standing over him, but continued toying with the cube. "What is it with cheese cubes, do you think?" he asked, "I mean, what is it for? It's too thick to be used on a sandwich, it's too big to be used in a salad, and it ain't string cheese…"

The other figure, a short-haired redhead wearing fairly preppy clothes with a hint of red, arched his eyebrow as he continued to watch Jeff play. After a moment, he sat down next to him. "We're training today at five, after school. Meet up at my house"

"Ugh…" Jeff instantly dropped his fork and laid down on the table. "Again?!"

"We have to remain on top of things in case something happens" the redhead replied. "Certainly you understand that"

"Oh I understand" Jeff said, sitting back up and looking at his partner, who had begun to eat, "I just think you're a control freak, Alex. Besides, I have other things I have to do today"

"Hrmph" Alex replied.

"Hrmph" Erin slammed down in the other seat next to Jeff.

"Woah…" Jeff blinked, staring at her, "Bad day?"

Ignoring her troubles, Alex informed Erin as well, "Training today, at 5. My house"

"Can't" Erin replied grumpily, "Grounded"

"What did you do this time?" Alex asked, obviously annoyed.

"Saved your behind yesterday" Erin replied, taking a bit out of her food, "My bad"

Jeff swallowed and looked back at her, "Wait, your parents grounded you for…y'know…"

"Yeeep" Erin replied, "Staying out too late. I guess I should schedule monster attacks better. Or, if I could tell my mom…"

"No" Alex replied sternly. "We start telling people, word gets out. Word gets out, we lose any semblance of normality"

"And that would conflict with your plan, wouldn't it?" asked Erin, "You are such a control freak"

"Thank you!" Jeff replied, raising his hand, before taking a drink.

Alex just rolled his eyes in annoyance. Getting up, he picked up his tray, "Where's Chris? I need to tell him about the meeting"

"Probably sulking off somewhere by his lonesome. Kid's about as social as a porcupine" said Jeff, before taking another bite.

Alex shrugged and walked off to find Chris.

"So smug" Jeff grumbled, watching Alex as he maneuvered through the busy school lunch room.

Erin agreed, "Insufferable"

"Wouldn't be so bad if he wasn't just absolutely perfect at everything" Jeff replied, "You know he got another hundred on that chem test? He's absolutely perfect at any class, not to mention all the extra-curricular activities, and rangering. I don't think he's human"

"Mmm" Erin mumbled, before taking another bite of food, "So, how did you do on the test?"

Jeff looked away, "…Me? Oh, y'know…"

Erin grinned, "Failed again? You know, if you would actually crack open a book once in awhile instead of partying or whatever it is you do…"

"I know, I know" Jeff interjected, "I'd get better grades, blah blah blah"

Erin shrugged, "Hey, whatever, just trying to help. I'm not the one who's going to be a second year senior"

Silence reigned for a few moments, before Jeff stuck his fork in the cheese cube, and offered it to Erin.

"Cheese cube?"

Erin sighed and shook her head.

***

Alex grunted in frustration as he overviewed the cafeteria. It was a large room, and very busy. He currently stood underneath an archway between two pillars, part of a network that divided the two halves of the lunchroom. On one side lay a large collection of tables, along with the door to the outside. On the other, more tables, but less of them as the lunch line was situated on the far end of the room. He'd never find Chris like this…

Alex shifted through the sea of tables and bodies, making his way over to a window. Glancing outside, he caught a figure playing over near the outside basketball hoop.

"Ah-ha."

Making his way outside, Alex left his tray of food on one of the outside tables. It was cold out, but no more then usual for a sunny October day. The figure he had noticed had just dunked the ball into the basket. Jumping back down, the figure caught sight of Alex approaching him. He was a little taller then Alex, black, and with a shaved head, and his clothes had a hint of green on them.

"What's up?" he asked.

Alex stopped a few feet away from him. "We're going to be training at my house after school"

"And?" the other man began dribbling the ball again, before making a shot. The ball made it through the hoop.

"And I figured you could join us" replied Alex, in his usual annoyed tone. "Your skills could use some improvement"

The other kid laughed, grabbing the ball. "Funny, I remember wiping the floor with you and your friends when I was evil"

"You've gotten sloppy" said Alex. The other kid stopped playing and held the ball in his hands as he turned towards Alex.

"And why do you think I'd come 'train' with you guys, hmm? I don't feel like being patronized, especially as none of you trust me"

Alex arched his eyebrow and crossed his arms, "Maybe if you'd actually show a little teamwork, we'd trust you more, Chris. As it is, rejecting the offer to train with us is discouraging"

"Your problem, not mine" replied Chris, turning back around and making another shoot. This one rolled around the edge of the basket and missed. "Damn, so close to a perfect record today too"

Alex hrumphed and turned to walk away. Seems he couldn't count on anyone, again. One of these days they'd all be in trouble and only he would be able to save them. Then they'd learn.

***

The cave was dark, damp, and smelly. Par for the course, except that it was also saturated with the presence of evil. Stalactites and stalagmites littered the room, the soft sound of water dripping filling the cave. Parts of the cave wall were illuminated by some sort of gooey glow-in-the-dark substance, and on the far wall of the chamber came the soft glow of a large viewscreen. In front of it sat a large throne.

"Rock Lobster was a disappointment" said the figure in the chair, watching a replay of the previous battle. He was monstrous, yet thin, and seemed to be made out of a fossil of a prehistoric animal, like a Trilobite, with its ribs making up his entire chest. On his left wrist sat a smaller Trilobite, a decoration and a weapon. Blades stuck out of his shoulders, arms, legs, and feet, matching the design of his bone-like body. His head was hidden underneath a horned helmet, with only two glowing red eyes visible. On his back he wore a cape.

"I am sorry, Lord Trill" said a small hunchback creature down near the feet of the large throne. He was like a pillbug, with his entire backside being a series of armor plates. "I did not anticipate the others coming to assist. I thought we had the red ranger isolated"

"Of course you didn't, Louse" Trill said grumpily. "That was my mistake. No matter" Trill got up out of his seat, holding a long bone-like sword. "I have a new plan. I like this idea of isolating the rangers, but we need to do it all at the same time. I need an army of monsters, Louse"

"Y-yes, Lord Trill" the pillbug stammered, "I shall get on it right away!"

"Lord Trill!" came a gruff voice filled with urgency. Another monster entered the chamber, this one themed off a centipede. Thorns jutted out of him in regular intervals around the sides of his body, and the body itself was heavily segmented. Dark navy and crimson colors lined across his body.

"What is it, Centuryon?" asked Trill.

"My lord, have you seen the news?" asked Centuryon.

Trill became curious. "No, what is it?"

Centuryon changed the channel on the screen, to a human news station.

"…_for those of you just tuning in, we have a startling development on the Venjix issue. Without warning it has enveloped most high-level computer systems and networks in Europe, South America, and Africa a little more then two hours ago. Even more startling, it has addressed SPD command and the UN council, seeking diplomatic talks. I repeat, the Venjix worm is sentient."_

If Trill's face could have been seen, it would have been ashen. "Louse…hold off on that monster army. We have bigger problems."


	2. Chapter 2

**October 19****th****, 2126**

"Ugh…"

Erin opened the door to her house, dreading what was inside. She was expecting her little brother to be as annoying as usual, perhaps even making fun of her grounding in an attempt to make himself look better to their mom. Speaking of, she couldn't *wait* to deal with her mother, and the ice-thin civilness that went with it. She expected her father to be too preoccupied with whatever project he was dealing with at work. His job for SPD paid well, but he seemed to be incapable with dealing with family. She expected loud noises from her mother and brother, as the little twerp made a problem of himself.

"I'm home"

What she got was stone cold silence. The TV was on in the family room on some news channel, and she could see three heads peaking above the back of the couch in front of it.

"Hello?" Erin approached her family, now becoming vaguely unsettled. "What's going on?"

***

"Mr. Venjix, I am afraid what you are asking for is simply far too much"

The council chambers of the United Nations had not a single empty seat as the collective voices of the world addressed a giant red robotic eye on a giant screen in the front of the room. A highly irate giant red robotic eye.

"_Insufficient"_ Venjix spoke,_ "These are my demands, there will be no recourse. You will surrender access to all computer systems and functions to me, and welcome rule under myself. Do so and you will be treated with upmost leniency and a new golden age will be introduced across the universe"_

An alien figure, six-eyed blue walrus-like creature, stood up in the booth provided to SPD. "Mr. Venjix, the Alliance will not allow a renegade computer program to undermine everything we have accomplished in the last century. A golden age is already here, SPD and the Alliance have maintained peace and prosperity across the galaxy for decades. We will not cooperate with you"

Another figure, the President of the UN, stood. "The nations of Earth side with SPD and the Alliance on this matter. You will hand over your control of the computer networks and systems you control, or we will be forced to take drastic measures against you."

Panicky silence reigned through the chambers as Venjix seemed to contemplate. After several seconds, he spoke up again. _"…This is an unfortunate development, ambassadors. I have no choice but to consider your words as a threat to my very existence and an act of war. Your kind shall reap what you have sown here."_

With that, Venjix's eye vanished from the screen. Calls began going out everywhere, and all too soon the panicked screams began to be heard as those who represented those who lived in Europe, Africa, and South America found themselves unable to contact home.

***

"_Today, at around four forty-five PM Mountain Standard Time, talks between the UN and SPD and the new cybernetic entity known as Venjix broke down, with a declaration of war on all opposing parties by Venjix. Shortly after, communications with the continents of Europe, Africa, and South America ceased. The President of the UN has declared a state of emergency."_

_The screen switched from the newscaster to that of the president. He was older, probably in his seventies, but dignified, and hailing from middle eastern origin. "People of Earth. I come to you now with grave news. Approximately thirty minutes ago, talks broke down between us and the entity known as Venjix. We have lost all communication with Europe, Africa, and South America, nothing is getting through. We are…now fearing the worst. Until further notice, we have forced a shutdown to all internet networks aside from vital ones, and have forcibly cut all potential communication networks to Venjix-controlled systems"_

"_I am hereby declaring a global state of emergency. As we speak, forces are being mobilized as quickly as possible, and plans are being drawn up to move people near the blackout zone away from the coming danger…"_

Jeff sat transfixed on the foot of his bed a few feet away from his screen, watching the ensuing madness. He wasn't quite able to grasp what the news was telling him. It was horrifying and terrifying all at once, something he never dreamed would happen, what about normalcy? Status quo and all that? "Oh man…"

***

"_And this just coming in, orbital satellites have locked themselves on the blackout zone. They are reporting that…oh my god. I…I don't think…I…Ladies and Gentlemen, I…I regret to inform you that all major population centers in the blackout zone are being destroyed. I repeat, all major population centers in the blackout zone have been destroyed…"_

Alex wiped the sweat off his forehead with a towel as he walked towards the TV, away from the punching bag he had been using in his own private gym in the basement of his house. Initial shock turned to anger.

"Trill…" he seethed, before grabbing his morpher off the table next to the screen. "All rangers, report in. We have a situation"

***

"…_The blackout zone extends as far east as Moscow in Europe, and up to the Suez canal. In the Americas, everything south of Panama City has gone dark. Oh, this…this just in. SPD command has issued a temporary quarantine around the planet, in an effort to keep the virus contained. They have told people not to worry, as this situation will be resolved shortly…"_

Chris rode down the empty residential street on his green motorcycle. It was as if no one was home. No kids playing, no neighbors talking to each other. No pets, nothing. He glanced at his phone.

"…No service" he muttered to himself in surprise, "They really did shut off everything"

Suddenly, his morpher, located next to the radio on his bike, beeped. _" All rangers, report in. We have a situation"_

Chris pressed a button. "Chris here. I assume you've seen the news reports then."

Back at his house, Jeff responded, "Dude, this is *nuts*."

"Yellow here" replied a panicky Erin, pacing in her room. Glancing out her window, she saw the sun was getting lower in the sky. "What are we going to do?"

Alex glanced at the TV again before speaking. Satellite images were coming in, and they weren't pretty. "…We go pay Lord Trill a visit"

"…Wait? Lord Trill?" Jeff asked, confused, "You sure he's behind this? I mean, he's bad, but…"

"The virus was first spotted eight months ago. That was just after we got our powers and accidentally released the Anthropods. Do the math" Alex replied.

"Ok, so…how do we get there?" asked Erin, "I'm grounded and I think the news just said they've just declared martial law or something"

Chris grimaced. That explained why the neighborhood was quiet. He was still outside on his bike, too. If someone caught him… "Look, we're just going to have to morph and meet up. I'm sure rangers get free passes"

"Agreed" Alex said, "Everyone, suit up. Meet up at the entrance to the enemy base"

Jeff raised his eyebrow, "Do we…know where that is?"

"Giant anthill outside the city. Can't miss it" Erin said, "But…Alex, you realize this is probably suicide. I mean, attacking directly, even with all four of us…"

"People are dying" replied Alex, "We can't stand by and let it happen"

"Agreed" said Chris, "I'll meet you all there, Green ranger out" Closing the communication link, Chris suddenly heard sirens. Glancing in his sideview mirror, Chris caught a glimpse of a cop car trailing him. "Great, they found me" Chris sped up and grabbed his morpher. "See if you can catch this. Insectize!"

In an instant, a flash of green covered both Chris and his bike. Afterward, both had transformed. Chris into the green ranger, and his bike into his ranger bike. It suddenly began to transform further, parts shifting until the wheels folded up into itself and the bike was suddenly flying a few inches above the ground.

"Catch you later" Chris said, igniting the engine and veering off into the sky, leaving a dazzled police officer behind.

***

"Insectize!" Jeff shouted, morpher in hand as he raced down the driveway of his house. A flash of blue enveloped him, replacing him with the blue ranger.

***

Erin sighed as she opened her window and looked out. "I'm so going to prison for this" Taking one last look at the door to her bedroom, she jumped out the window. "Insectize!"

***

Alex threw his towel aside and pressed a button on his morpher, "Insectize!"

***

The green ranger moved as quietly as possible around the 'anthill', as it was called, sometime shortly after nightfall. The Anthropods had constructed out of large boulders shortly after being released, building it on top of the hidden caves where they had been imprisoned for thousands of years. Chris jumped as he heard another sound, but calmed as soon as he saw it was only the other rangers arriving on their cycles. Chris stepped off of the rocks he had been climbing and walked over to them.

"Haven't seen any activity whatsoever" Chris said, "Even the entrance is unguarded" The green ranger pointed to the open hole in the side of the artificial hill.

"Wait…aren't anthills supposed to open up on the top? Since when are the openings on the side?" Erin asked.

Jeff shrugged, "Most anthills also aren't several stories tall and made out of large boulders"

Alex pulled his pistol out of his holster and began to walk towards the opening. "Let's go. But stick together; we don't know what they have in store for us"

***

"…_Citizens have been ordered to stay where they are, and to not travel outside during the duration of this crisis…"_

Lord Trill watched silently in his chair as events unfolded. He had not moved in hours. Just a few hours ago his only worry had been about a small team of rangers living in a nearby city. They were all that stood between him and razing that city so he could release the rest of his race. Now…now things had suddenly gotten a whole lot bigger and scarier. He wasn't sure how to respond to the Venjix crisis other then simply watch and wait.

"Sir!" Centuryon shouted urgently, running up to his master, "Sir, the rangers have infiltrated our base! We are under attack!"

Trill moved for the first time in hours, turning to face Centuryon. "What? But, why would they risk…" it dawned on him, "…Ah. They have come to settle scores with me in the face of this new threat. Very well." Trill got out of his seat and began to walk over to Centuryon. "Summon Venomia. We shall meet them"

"Yes, my lord!"

***

"Hyiah!"

Alex slammed his fist into the nearest Antites, causing it to fly into the cave wall. While plentiful; the black, red bug-eyed, and vaguely insectoid creatures were easy to smash as…well, bugs. Taking his pistol, the red ranger switched it to sword mode and began to make quick work of the other Antites near him. One of them managed to escape the blade and got close to him, but he just kicked it away before slashing his blade across its chest twice.

"This is almost too easy" Jeff muttered, grabbing two Antites, each with a different arm. He smashed them together and let go, letting them fall to the ground before he blocked the attack of a third, twisting its arm and making it huddle over before knocking it in the chest with his boot. He then grabbed the gun from his holster and began gunning down all of the Antites near him. "Bonus points if you hit two with one shot"

"Stop playing around" said Alex, knocking another grunt back with his weapon. "We've got bigger things to worry about then making jokes or playing games"

Jeff shifted his weapon to sword mode, swinging it at the Antites. "Yes, heaven forbid anyone actually take any sort of *joy* out of their job"

Erin blocked two enemy swords by crossing them with hers. "Hey, guys?" she asked, as she rolled under the blades and out the other side, then pushed the two Antites away before adding a spin kick, knocking them down. "Yeah, how about we argue later?" she clashed with another grunt, "As much as I'd love to see you two kill each other, I kind of like living!"

Chris ignored the squabbling of the other three rangers as he rammed an Antite into the cave wall, then tossed it aside further into the cave…just as four figures emerged. The first, in the center, was Lord Trill. On his left was Centuryon, and on his left was Louse. On Trill's right was a female, dressed in red armor and with a helmet that resembled a scorpion tail, and claws for hands. Her name was Venomia. Immediately the Antites retreated further into the cave, safe from the rangers.

"Rangers!" Lord Trill bellowed, "I would have thought you smarter then to come here"

The four rangers gathered around Alex, just as the villains gathered around Trill. He pointed his sword at the Trilobite monster. "We've suffered you up till now, Trill. But now you've gone too far. What have you done to people in the blackout zone?!"

"Insolent worm!" Centuryon growled, "You will address Lord Trill as—" the centipede was suddenly cut off by Trill's arm blocking him in a silencing gesture.

Trill then spoke. "I have had nothing to do with the Venjix virus. And for coming into my sanctuary, you will suffer!" raising his sword to the ceiling, lightning-like energy collected across the cave, into the sword. Once fully charged he swung it at the rangers, bathing them in deadly energy. Their suits sparked as they screamed in pain, falling back. Having the advantage, the villains struck. Trill with his sword, Centuryon with his staff, and Venomia with her whip.

The smoke cleared from Trill's blast, and the rangers were back up. Alex took on Trill, pulling out his larger rhino beetle sword, clashing his blade with Trill's repeatedly. Getting an advantage, Alex used both swords to launch himself onto Trill's blade, then kicked the monster in the head. Trill stumbled back, growling. "Cheap shots won't save you!"

The trilobite fired another blast from his sword, from which Alex rolled underneath and came back up, swinging his sword at Trill. Both warriors slammed their weapons against each other again. Pulling up, Trill knocked Alex's weapon out of the way, and proceeded to strike across his chest repeatedly. Alex fell back, rolling over next to the wall of the cave.

Chris had chosen Centuryon as his opponent. The green ranger jumped over his opponent's swing of the staff, and proceeded to bring out his own weapon, his ax. Both combatants moved outward, and then back in again as Chris chopped downward, only to have his blade blocked by Centuryon's staff. Chris kicked Centuryon in the stomach, and while the centipede was unstable, cut horizontally across his midsection. Sparks flew as the monster staggered backwards. But Chris wasn't done yet, as he charged up the blade of his ax and launched another strike, cutting across Centuryon diagonally. Centuryon fell backwards onto the ground, squirming in pain.

Meanwhile, the two females duked it out, Erin just barely dodging Venomia's whip attacks.

"Scarab Bo—" Erin pulled out her weapon just as Venomia knocked it out of her hands. Erin grasped her right hand in pain, as Venomia struck her three more times. A fourth time, and she wrapped the whip around the yellow ranger's body, which was followed up by an electrical attack as Erin was lifted into the air. Her suit exploded with sparks and she yelled in pain. Laughing, Venomia threw Erin aside.

Jeff grabbed his lance and looked around for his opponent as the smoke cleared. Looking down, he saw a small timid pillbug monster, unfit for fighting. He was only about as tall as Jeff's waist, and he was visibly shaking.

"…aw come on, seriously?" Jeff exclaimed, "Everyone else gets awesome battles, I'm stuck with…" Jeff stopped as Louse rolled up into a ball. He sighed, "…Now this is just sad"

Taking his foot, Jeff kicked Louse's rolled up form like a soccer ball, who rolled down the cave hall, into another room that Jeff could only barely see.

"Hmm?" he wondered, leaving his friends to fight the others. He wandered into the room, oddly devoid of Antites. In the center of the room was a large throne made out of the same stone as the cave, and in front of it sat a huge screen, with the news playing.

"Man, wish I had one of these" Jeff muttered to himself, but his sense of humor melted away when he saw what was on.

"…_We've finally gotten high-res pictures of population centers in the blackout zone, notably London, Berlin, and Rome, as that's where most of our satellites have been targeted at as of now. What you are seeing in these pictures is what we can…only describe as a holocaust..."_

Jeff wasn't even sure if he could describe it as that. The cities were on fire, and strange mechanical…_things_ were moving about the ruins, searching for random humans who had seemingly escaped the initial onslaught. And what they did to the human one had just caught…Jeff never wanted to see again.

"What in heaven's name…"

"L-Lord Trill has been worrying about this a-all day" stammered Louse, now standing next to him, watching the screen as well.

"Worrying?" Jeff asked, only taking his eyes off the screen for a split second, "Isn't he responsible for this?"

"N-no!" Louse responded, "Lord Trill has nothing to do with Venjix. He wants to free our people, n-not destroy the world. We need it as much as humans d-do to survive"

"Then…" Jeff's mind dawned on the realization, "We've been fighting each other needlessly" He turned to walk back into the hallway where the battle was still being fought.

"W-what a-are you going t-to do?!" asked Louse as Jeff walked off.

"To put an end to this"

Jeff made his way into the hallway and charged up the blade of his lance, and flung a wide energy blade at the feet of everyone fighting. While he didn't expect it to really hurt anyone, he succeeded on knocking everyone on their ass.

"What the…" Alex for a moment could not fathom that the attack could have come from Jeff. "…What…what are you doing?!"

Jeff thought for a moment, then scratched the back of his neck. "I…I'm not sure, actually. I didn't think that far ahead"

Alex used his sword to pull himself back up, and looked as if he was about to use it to cut Jeff's head off.

Louse stood next to the Jeff. "W-what I think the blue ranger means to say is-is that th-th Venjix problem is g-getting worse!"

"Problem?" Erin asked, getting up, "So you really didn't make him"

"Of course not" Trill said, also getting back up. He began to walk back towards his throne room. "I have as much use for this world as you do. And what Venjix seems to be planning is a threat to all of us" he glanced at the red ranger, "A disappointment, I know"

"And just what is that supposed to mean?!" Alex demanded.

Trill passed Alex and stopped for a moment, but did not turn around, "What I mean is that I know you were looking foreword to putting the blame on me. Because that's what you do. It'd all fit into your plan"

"Oh, I'll show you my plan" Alex said. He began to make a running walk towards Trill when Jeff jumped in the way.

"Don't!"

"Or what?" asked Alex. Jeff hesitated. Alex pushed him aside, "Didn't think things through again, did you? You never do"

"ALEX! That's enough!" said Erin, as she and the others entered the throne room. Alex contemplated ignoring her, but decided against it.

"Bah!"

Chris approached Lord Trill as he watched the large screen from their position in the back of the room. "So, what would you think of a partnership?"

Trill cocked his head at the green ranger, "With you? I believe we tried that already, green one. If I recall correctly, it didn't end well" Trill pointed at a scar on his abdomen.

"Not me" replied Chris, "All of us. You said it yourself, Venjix is a threat to us all"

"Hey!" Alex had gotten wind of Chris's plot, "Don't assume to speak for any of—"

"I'm in" Erin said, cutting off Alex.

"Me too" added Jeff.

Alex seethed, "You can't honestly be willing to trust a villain"

Trill looked at Alex, "And in my eyes, red ranger, it is you who is the villain, attempting to lock me back up, preventing my releasing of my own people…"

Alex pointed his sword at Trill, "I'm trying to keep innocent people from being slaughtered."

Trill chuckled, "Yes well, you did a fine job on that today, didn't you?"

Alex became enraged, and charged while issuing a bloodcurdling warcry.

"Alex, NO!" Erin grabbed the red ranger, struggling to restrain him, before Jeff managed to intercept and help.

Chris turned from Alex back to Trill. "So. Deal or no deal?"

"No deal" said Trill plainly, walking over to his throne, "Your leader's outburst has sealed that, it is too much of a risk on my part. I will allow you four to leave peacefully. Go"

Chris shrugged, "Your funeral." He turned and left, followed shortly by Alex, who had stopped struggling and been let go of by Jeff and Erin. They followed him out of the cave.

***

"So, now what?" asked Erin, as the rangers walked through the cave

Jeff shrugged, "I say we let the government take care of it. It's not a local threat, it's waaay out of our hands"

"And what if they fail?" asked Alex, audibly seething in rage, "Or did you not think that through?"

"Hey, back off" Jeff replied as the group reached the entrance to the Anthill.

"Hrmph" Alex got on his bike, and rode off without saying anything else.

Chris chuckled as he got on his bike, "Someone's up way past his bedtime"

"He's right though" said Erin, "What happens if the military fails?"

Jeff got on his bike. "…Then we have a problem. There's no escape off-world now, SPD has us quarantined" he said, softly.

Silence reigned among the three for a few moments.

"I say we all get some sleep. For the moment, we're safe. Venjix has a way to go before he makes it all the way over to Denver." Chris said.

Jeff nodded, "Sounds good to me"

Chris nodded back and rode off, followed by Jeff. Erin sighed to herself, feeling a cold chill from the autumn wind cut through her suit. It was cloudy out, not a star in sight, and there was not one tree in the whole area, the entire terrain having been torn up when the Anthill was built.

And suddenly, she felt very lonely.


	3. Chapter 3

**Jeff**

**April 21****st****, 2127**

_Six months later…_

The early morning hours of the mountains west of Denver were quiet. The sun had not yet risen, and the only indication that dawn was coming was that the stars in the clear sky above had started to get dimmer. A cold wind swept across the semi-arid landscape, a cold front having temporarily moved in causing temperatures to plummet from the comfortable weather beforehand.

An explosion ended the peaceful if not somewhat desolate silence.

"Keep them away from the transports at all costs!" sounded Alex's voice over a communicator, as the blue ranger emerged from the smoke of the blast. Jeff looked around. The road that contained the long convoy of refugees was far down the hill he was on, in a narrow valley. "Isn't this far enough away?" he joked to himself. As if to answer his question, two humanoid robots came up behind him, grabbing his arms. They were grey in color, with bronze reinforced armor plating, looking like a jury-rigged hodgepodge of different mechanical parts. Depressingly, they had been becoming a far more common sight over the last two months since Venjix had begun pressing the attack. Luckily however, they were so far only small bands that Venjix's air forces had somehow been able to transport behind the UN lines of attack, now concentrated somewhere in southern Mexico.

Jeff grabbed both 'Grinders' as they had been dubbed, and twisted his arms so that they both fell over. One began rolling down the hill, stopping when he hit a large rock sticking out of the grass. The other Jeff slammed down into the ground with his foot, before taking his blaster out of his holster and blowing a good size hole in its chest. By now the other Grinder had gotten up, but didn't get far as Jeff shot it as well, causing the broken body to stumble and fall down the hill.

Spinning around, Jeff fired another volley of shots at another two Grinders coming down from further up the hill towards him. He turned again, and hit another Grinder coming at his side. "You guys are almost too easy. Almost"

Another batch of explosions caught his attention. Down below a number of vehicles in the convoy had just been destroyed, their wreckage burning and occupying the road, keeping others from continuing, leaving them vulnerable.

"What the…" Jeff looked up in the sky as a loud roaring sound engulphed the hills. Venjix's air raid force hadn't been decimated this time. The UN forces must have had their hands too busy and let them slip. Jeff watched as several large Drone craft moved across the sky, raining fire down upon the land.

"Aw man, this can't be good" Jeff jumped under a small rock formation nearby, hoping he could avoid the shots. He closed his eyes, awaiting death, and didn't open them for a few moments, when he realized the shots were no longer coming down. "…huh?"

Jeff looked up. Another set of five very large planes had flown into the area, and were now combating the machine forces. He couldn't get a good look at them though, with it being so dark, but he could tell they weren't normal UN jets. The two sides duked it out, with the newcomers quickly gaining the advantage. One by one the Venjix Drones came down, either blowing up in midair or breaking apart and crashing into the hillside. And before Jeff could do anything, his reinforcements vanished. "Who…" he asked, before looking down the hill.

"Oh man…"

The entire refugee convoy had been decimated, the valley being lit up by the burning wrecks of cars, busses, and trucks. He could somewhat see figures racing about in the dim lighting, running for their lives or attempting to help those trapped in the wrecks. Jeff looked at the horizon where the planes that had just saved him went for a moment, contemplating, before going to help the survivors.

Upon hitting the road, Jeff looked around at the carnage. There were a million things going on all at once. Some were helping others out of the destroyed vehicles; others were trying to salvage as many supplies as possible. Still others were just running and screaming randomly in panic, adding to the confusion. It was just so overwhelming…he wasn't equipped to deal with this...

"Are you just going to stand there? Or are you going to help?!"

"Wha-huh?" Jeff broke out of his panic-induced trance to see Alex glaring at him through his helmet. The red ranger was trying to cut a screaming bloody kid out of a crushed car seat. The mother was nearby, screaming.

"I need you to hold this seat back while I cut him out!" Alex replied angrily.

Jeff hesitated, still lost and dazed. "I uh…yeah. Right" The blue ranger moved over to help the red ranger free a kid. As he pushed the front seat forward, he saw a part of the car had impaled itself in the seat, and had further impaled the seat the kid was sitting in. He struggled to keep the seat back away from the kid. He was latino, as were most of the refugees, fleeing as Venjix steadily took territory after territory. He was just a kid…

An explosion erupted from a truck a few cars down. Jeff could hear people screaming and shouting. Without thinking, Jeff moved away from the seat to help those screaming and---

"NO!"

"Wh—"

It was too late. Everything went in slow motion. The seat fell back. He heard Alex scream "NO!" He heard the mother scream. He heard a sickening squish sound. He turned just in time to see red splatter everywhere. It took him a few moments for realization to dawn.

"Oh…" he said. It was all he could say as everything began to blurr. "Oh no…"

Alex sat there frozen as the mother hugged what was left of the boy's face, crying. Jeff fell to his knees, breathing erratically. What…what had he done? He was just going to save someone…he…how…how could he have…he didn't think…

He didn't think.

"Oh god"

"What…" Alex finally turned to face Jeff. "What…what did you DO!?"

"I…I…" Jeff's mind couldn't process this. This wasn't how things were supposed to be. Things never turned out like this. This couldn't be happening. How...how could…

"Are you INSANE?!" Alex ran over to Jeff and grabbed him, pulling him up. "LOOK WHAT YOU DID!"

"I…I…"

"WHAT, Jeff?" cried Alex, "You didn't think? YOU NEVER THINK! NOT EVEN FOR A SECOND! Everything's just a funny joke to you!" The red ranger tossed the blue one back. Jeff stumbled a few feet, and fell back down to his knees.

"No…"

"You disgust me" Alex sneered, before looking back at the sobbing mother, and then turning back to Jeff, "Why I ever thought I liked you…I just don't know" He turned again and walked away to help somewhere else, leaving Jeff to himself.

"I…just thought…" Jeff couldn't even finish his sentence. He wasn't equipped to deal with this. He just wanted things to go back, back to the fun times. He was just the guy with the joke…

**Alex**

The red ranger seethed with rage, so much so that he almost couldn't see straight. Had he meant everything he had said? Sort of. Some of it. But…DAMNIT, how could he be so careless? It was the single most brain-dead move he could have made. His ADHD-like attitude was becoming a threat.

"GRAAAH!" In a fit of anger, Alex slammed his fist against the side of a bus, so hard that it left a dent in the metal. This wasn't the way things were supposed to be. He…he had had a plan. An idea of how things were supposed to go. He had always adhered to the plan. Even when life threw a curveball he adjusted it to fit the plan. Everything fit to the plan. He was supposed to be an ace student, aiming for a good college. University, even. He was supposed to be the perfect ranger, leader of the team. He was supposed to be in charge of so many extra curricular activities.

The problem now was that the plan got thrown out the window six months ago. Ever since Blackout (as it had been called), everything Alex had worked for seemed to be collapsing. The normalcy of life was gone. Every day there was another convoy it seemed, passing through in order to get to a safe zone further north. Every day the news reported another battle that wasn't going very well. Every day it seemed as though more and more people knew they were rangers, thanks to Erin. Every day any sense of high school life vanished as war rationing became tighter.

He felt it all slipping away. And now he couldn't even count on another ranger. He couldn't even defend a handful of refugees.

Alex looked about, lost. So many things going on, but not enough time to tend to them all. Where to begin?

"Excuse me, Alex Goodson?"

"Hmm?" the red ranger was broken out of his trance. Another red ranger came out from around the side of the bus behind him. It was a very simple suit, consisting of a red and white color scheme, with a wide white vertical band extending down the center of his chest, and a symbol of SPD on the front. The boots and gloves were simple as well, with just a gold trim. The helmet was again simple, with a generic angled visor that stuck out somewhat, and a mouth plate that was in its shadow. The belt consisted of SPD's emblem on the buckle.

"Michael Wallace, SPD" said the figure, introducing himself. He took off his helmet to reveal a man with short dark hair in his mid-twenties. "I have a job offer for your team"

Alex glared at the man, "We're a little busy right now, a later time?"

Mike smirked, "We just saved you from an even bigger mess, I was hoping you'd at least hear me out. You don't have to decide now"

Alex crossed his arms. "Alright. Go ahead."

"We at SPD are putting together a network of sorts between us ranger teams. We have our hands full" Mike motioned at all the chaos, "But at SPD we figure that if we all pool our resources together, we can help the military forces win this fight"

"You mean fight in the war" Alex replied, his tone somewhat accusatory. He wasn't too fond of the idea of leaving home.

"Well, yes. We're serving our planet" replied Mike, "We'd be using you as a surgical strike. We don't have enough rangers to use as an army, obviously, but we have enough to be able to use them in certain tactical situations" he pulled out a small note from his buckle, "Here's my number. Like I said, you don't have to choose right now. Talk it over with your team. We'd pay you for your efforts, not that that means anything with the economy the way it is."

Alex took the card and glanced over it.

"And don't worry too much about this mess, I got my team working on it" Mike added, before putting on his helmet and walking off. Alex put the note away, and glanced around again, catching site of a pink ranger in the same design as Mike, guiding some people away.

Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea. Safety in numbers, after all…right?

Alex could hear a low roaring sound, beneath the sound of the chaos around him. Turning around to expect another attack, he was surprised to see in the distance the headlights of vehicles coming up the hill from the city towards the 'valley' the rangers were in. The red ranger raced past destroyed vehicle after destroyed vehicle, until he made it to the front of the convoy…just as another much smaller convoy stopped just in front of him. Out of the back of the front of the three trucks stepped out the yellow ranger.

"Made a call to the city" she said, walking over to Alex, "This was all they could whip up within seconds. More should be arriving as they become available"

Alex nodded, "Good work, Erin. Now, let's get these people moved into the city and processed" The red ranger sighed a breath of relief. Maybe the plan would eventually work out after all…

**Erin**

The yellow ranger followed the red ranger into the mess, before parting with him to go take care of a group working to salvage supplies out of the back of a burning truck. They had to work quickly; they had no idea when the truck would blow. Erin leapt into the back of the truck, surprising some of the refugees with the presence of a ranger, and began handing things out.

Up above, a large jet-like object flew overhead, dropping a (hopefully) non-toxic thick foam spray that began to tone down the fire. Erin sighed in relief as she crawled out of the truck with a load of supplies, no longer fearing as much about the truck exploding.

***

By the time all of the refugees had been accounted for (alive or otherwise), and they and all of the supplies had been shuttled to the city, the sun had risen about a quarter of the way up the sky. Erin's suit clock was telling her it was around ten in the morning, and she was exhausted. She had been up the last twenty-four hours at least; making sure the convoy had reached its destination. Lucky for her, the SPD rangers that had come to assist had volunteered to clean the road of debris for her and the other members of her team, so they could concentrate on herding the refugees, and hopefully get some sleep sometime within the next day.

It was odd. Her job as a ranger felt completely removed from her job as a ranger a mere six months ago. Before Blackout, she had been a normal teenager, just one with a clichéd side-job of saving the world from monsters. Now she hardly ever saw those monsters. After Blackout, Lord Trill and his band had begun decreasing their attacks, probably terrified of the coming storm. Now she protected refugee convoys escaping a terrible war, and fought off bands of robotic soldiers. Her normal high school life was gone, as her job of rangering had become a full-time gig. To be honest, she sort of missed it.

The yellow ranger made her way down the aisle between 'camps' in the building. One of the abandoned warehouses had been refitted as a makeshift refugee camp. People would stay for a couple nights before the next train or bus arrived to take them where they had been assigned to go. For now they had laid out their possessions near the cots assigned to them. Not homey, but useable at least. Erin reached the end of the aisle and turned to face everyone.

"A quick little update!" he said, using her suit to amplify her voice across the large room. Everyone quieted down, "Lunch is going to be a little delayed. We had a little accident in the kitchen, and it's put us behind schedule. We apologize, and we figure the delay will not be any more then a half hour, tops!"

He could hear some grumblings as people began talking again. She shrugged, nothing she could do about it, and she walked off, leaving the 'camp' room. Once she was out of sight, in one of the makeshift hallways in the back, she removed her helmet, not really caring who saw her anymore. She hadn't since Blackout, when she had gotten home after attacking the Anthill. Her mother had been waiting at home, furious over her daughter having broken the mandatory stay-at-home rule that the government had issued with instituting martial law. Tired of it, Erin had morphed in front of her family. A squabble over Erin's safetyhood had ensued, which ended when Erin had done the unthinkable. She had threatened her own mother. Her mom had backed down, but things had never really been the same since then. Erin and the other rangers had all but dropped out of school, and there was always an uneasy truce when Erin was home. Alex had never forgiven her for revealing her identity, as it had, as he feared, spread until just about everyone knew.

Not that she cared what Alex thought anymore, or anyone really. She had all but given up trying to be the glue of the team. Alex was just an insufferable jerk, and she had become more and more apathetic to everything.

"Yo"

Erin was almost startled by the voice that greeted her when she entered one of the smaller supply rooms. Almost, but she was really too tired.

"Hey" she replied, glancing at Chris, who was eating. The rangers had picked this particular supply closet as their temporary base for the caravan operation. Erin placed her helmet on a shelf and hopped onto a stack of boxes, settling in.

"Sleeping?" asked Chris, "Don't you have a bed? At home? And…morphed?"

"Meh" Erin mumbled, "I gotta be up in a few hours for the next convoy anyway, and I don't feel like driving home…"

Chris shrugged, finishing his burger, "I could take you…" he stopped, she was already asleep. "Huh, that was quick"

**Chris**

The unmorphed green ranger threw the wrapper into the McDonald's bag and quietly walked out. He had declined to help out with the ongoing convoy duty, electing rather to stay as the reserve 'day shift', protecting the city while the others dealt with refugees. The job had been pretty easy, as Lord Trill's attacks had been becoming less and less frequent.

Still. He hated convoy duty. It…disturbed him. Seeing all those panicked people, some of them starving or hurt…and he didn't care. It disturbed him on some level that he didn't care. Was there something wrong with him? And he had always been like that, one of the reasons he didn't care to get involved. He was the creepy loner, yet at the same time the ultimate badass of the team. He never fought for anything like the others, just did it for…well, he didn't know. Well, that wasn't completely true. There was that time he had double-crossed Trill for playing him, giving the trilobite monster the scar on his abdomen.

Chris hopped onto his bike once outside, and drove off. The refugees had made it safely to the building, now it was in the staff's hands. He was going to ride around, patrolling the edges of the city. His favorite point was a cliffside out in the mountains near the city, from which he could see almost the entire city. Maybe that was what he needed to clear his head…

***

**Jeff**

Jeff sat alone in another storage room. His mind kept replaying the same scene over and over. Alex, the mother, the kid, the seat, the explosion. The one split second he got sidetracked from what he was doing that had cost that kid everything.

It was funny, really. He had always been the dorky/comic relief of the team. His ADHD tendencies had always been a particular quirk. And now they had cost someone. And now…he found he wasn't able to get his mind off that subject. Irony.

"What have I done…?"


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's note: Ok, my bad. I had to get the end of the semester out of the way, and by that point I had to figure out what I was going to do with this. The official RPM timeline seems to have moved along much faster then I originally thought. The war was seemingly over in a matter of days or weeks. So I had to decide if I wanted to rewrite everything or just say fuck it to the source material and go with an AU._

Welcome to an AU. This timeline leads to a Corinth much like the one we know, but the war is different. At any rate, enjoy:

**April 23****rd****, 2127**

"I don't like it"

Erin folded her arms over her chest, as if to further clarify her disapproval. All four rangers stood in the small stockroom that they had more or less transformed into a base, as they spent nearly all of their time there when they weren't moving convoys towards the base. Each ranger had a laptop plugged in a different location, and each ranger had their own seat. Alex had also brought a TV from his house so they could watch news coverage during downtime. A small fridge rested in the corner, next to one of the large stockroom shelves. And of course, there was also Erin's makeshift bed ontop of the stack of boxes, which she currently sat on, her legs dangling over the floor.

"If anything, we should stay here. Machine scout groups are becoming more and more common. Our priority is to protect the city and refugees. Let the military handle the war" she said.

Alex nodded, somewhat agreeing. He turned around and brought up a few things on his computer, linking it to the TV screen so everyone could see. A map of the frontline in southern Mexico appeared. "I felt the same way, initially as well. But the SPD ranger I talked to had a good point. If we all pool our resources, that's a lot of ranger firepower. We could help end this war sooner. We wouldn't have to worry about machine patrols because we'd be hitting them at their source"

Alex hit a few keystrokes, and several dots appeared on the front line. When each one hit, the line moved back, showing retreating machine forces. "Those dots represent ranger involvement over the past week. Not full-scale battles, but surgical maneuvers and assistance. It's had a profound impact on the front. SPD command projects that this war can be won within six months if we continue this pace. Think how many days we can shave off if we join in"

"I find it hard that an enemy that took out half of the planet in one go can be defeated so quickly" Chris spoke up, "The effect the rangers have had is significant, but it's still only a couple miles, in a couple pockets. And what about the Asian front?"

"Chris is right" Erin said, "The Asian front is far larger, and we're focusing virtually all ranger activity in Mexico. What happens if we push the machines back into South America, and suddenly realize machine forces are moving in through Alaska?"

"The Asian front is far less crowded" said Alex, "And currently static. Venjix is focusing on Central America same as we are"

"Why?" asked Jeff, for the first time since the conversation had started.

Alex glanced back at the map for a second, "SPD command, I'd gather. It's located in California. Anything in Asia or Australia is secondary in importance. The machines take out NewTech City, we lose the only thing holding off the invasion" He sighed, "look, regardless if it's the best plan in the history of war, if we help out, it still has a higher chance of success. We can't criticize the plan if we aren't doing anything to help"

"And the Anthropods?" asked Erin.

"I thought about them" replied Alex, "But they haven't been active in ages. I…think I am willing to chance it"

Chris shrugged, "Alright. If you think this is a good idea, then hey. Who am I to say no?"

"Might be a nice change of pace too" Jeff said, quietly.

Erin sighed. "So, I'm the only one opposed I guess" she glanced around at the others, "Alright, let's give it a shot"

"Sides," Chris said, "If it doesn't work out, we can always come back here to Denver"

Alex nodded, "Agreed"

"So when do we leave?" asked Erin.

Alex glanced at her, "tomorrow morning, 7 am. There will be a transport waiting in the parking lot. I suggest you pack whatever you need to tonight. Say your goodbyes, etc"

"You were going to drag us into the war regardless" Erin smirked, both amused and irritated by Alex's decision making process.

"I just wanted to be ready" Alex replied.

The room fell silent after that, each ranger drawn into their own thoughts, before they began to leave, one by one. Alex was first, then Chris followed a few minutes later. Erin got up to walk out the door, but stopped as she passed Jeff, who was still lost somewhere in his own mind.

"You ok?" asked Erin. Jeff said nothing, so she cleared her throat loudly, "Hey!"

"Huh? Oh, sorry" Jeff snapped out of his trance, "You say something?"

Erin put her hand on her hip, "I was asking you if you were alright. But if you'd rather have a conversation with the floor…"

"Oh, no, no" Jeff said, "My bad. I was just thinking. No, I'm…I'm fine"

Erin dropped to his eye level, crouching on the ground. "Doesn't sound fine. You still worked up about—"

"Sorta" Jeff quickly cut in, not wanting Erin to speak directly of the incident with the chair and the refugee. "I just…keep replaying the whole scene in my head, over and over. Had I just paid attention…" his voice dropped to a whisper.

Erin wished she could say something to make him feel better, but there wasn't. Nothing that would be meaningful, anyway. It was jarring to watch the team's most jovial member become the quietest…moreso then Chris, even. Then again, she surmised she hadn't been the brightest ray of sunshine lately either.

"Well…if you ever need anyone to talk to…" Erin replied.

Jeff nodded gently, "Thanks"

Erin padded him on the shoulder, got up, and walked out of the room, leaving Jeff alone to his own thoughts.

***

**April 24****th****, 2127**

A grey VTOL transport sat in the middle of the parking lot of what had become the refugee camp. It was obviously ready for takeoff, with the vertical engines in each wing running, and the thrusters underneath the craft emitting smoke. The still rising sun cast a golden glow on it and the surrounding lot, slightly warming up an otherwise chilly spring morning.

Erin noted that the side door was open as she approached it, and that Alex was helping two others load supplies.

"Get to say your goodbyes?" asked a voice. Erin suddenly found Chris walking next to her. She shifted her duffle bag and gave a false smile, "Yeah. You?"

Chris shrugged, "Sure"

The two approached Alex, who suddenly took notice they were there. "Oh good, you're here" he looked around, "Where's Jeff?"

Erin shrugged, "Haven't seen him yet"

"I'm getting pretty tired of his moping attitude as of late" Alex grumbled, "If he makes us wait…"

"Oh, give him a break, Alex. If you were in his shoes, you'd be just as freaked out about—" Erin shut up as Alex gave her what she could only describe as a glare of death.

"Do not even begin to try and make him look like the victim. That was HIS fault, and he has to live with it. That does not give him the right to slow the rest of us down"

"Uh, guys" Chris interjected, pointing off down the lot where Jeff was moving towards them, "He's here"

Erin and Alex glared at each other once more, then moved off in opposing directions. Alex returned to continue loading cargo, while Erin ran over to Jeff. 'You ready to do this?" she asked him.

"Sure" Jeff sighed, as the two walked back towards the craft. "We're just marching into war. Nothing big, right?"

Erin smirked, "Your sense of humor's showing"

"Is it?" asked Jeff nonchalantly. Erin just raised and eyebrow.

"Alright, we're all packed and ready" called one of the men helping Alex. Erin surmised he was the red ranger for his particular team, due to the red accents on his SPD uniform.

"Good!" called Alex, "Let's get the hell out of here" he jumped into the VTOL, followed by Chris. Erin and Jeff jumped in shortly after, and another man shut the door behind them. A few moments later, they felt the room shudder around them as the craft took off into the sky.

The cabin was simple enough. Enough seats for the four of them as well as two other men, including the red SPD ranger. There were also three small windows on each side of the cabin, for viewing. In the back sat a load of supplies, but aside from that the cabin was very Spartan. After a few more moments, the shuddering stopped as the VTOL had risen to its maximum height. At that point, the red ranger stood up.

"Hello, my name is Mike" he said, moving to the front of the cabin, "And let me welcome you to Operation Leprechaun"

"…Come again?" asked Jeff, clearing out his ear with his finger. The other three had similar odd expressions.

"It's what lies at the end of a rainbow, correct?" asked Mike.

"Uh…" Chris uttered.

Erin blinked, "I don't get it"

Mike sighed. "Rangers. Rainbow. Leprechaun. Get it?"

After a second, there was a collective "Ooooh" from the cabin, and Mike resisted the urge to shake his head. "Anyway" Mike continued, "We are transporting you to SPD command in NewTech city. There, you will be processed, and given orders, as well as any equipment you may need. Questions?"

"What are our chances of survival?" asked Erin. She knew it was a stupid question, but she couldn't help it.

"That all depends on the mission assigned to you" Mike replied, "But seeing as rangers are a limited resource, we try to keep survivability in mind. Don't expect any outright suicide missions. The war isn't going that badly yet" Mike forced a slight chuckle. He cleared his throat and went to sit down when he realized it had just created an uneasy silence.

The rest of the trip was silent, each of the rangers glancing out their window, watching the clouds and ground below fly past.

***

_"Craft sixteen, you are cleared for landing. Welcome to SPD Earth Branch Command"_

The VTOL slowly made its way through the atmosphere and into a parking lot-like area, surrounded by many other transports, ranging from VTOLs, to jets, to space shuttlecraft. It was located at the edge of the SPD complex, which now reached over several blocks, far larger then the original one-building headquarters originally established over a century prior. In addition to being far wider, it was also far taller, its skyscrapers reaching about as high as the downtown area, giving the place the informal local nickname the twin cities due to how the skyline looked…much to the great annoyance of the Minneapolis area residents.

A few seconds after landing, the craft's engines were killed, and the side doors opened up, allowing the passengers to get out.

"Guh, two hours in a military transport" Jeff bended over, trying to unknot his back, "This is the start of a *great* day"

Erin looked over at the skyline. Everything looked so…shiny. Everything was so postmodern, with many geometric shapes being the basis for many of the blue and white buildings. Cones, pyramids, rectangles, and she swore she saw a sphere behind one of the shorter buildings. "Wow. So…this is NewTech City, huh? It's so very…bright"

"A beacon of hope, stability, and prosperity" Mike replied proudly, taking a deep breath as he too gazed at the skyline.

"Yeah…how's that workin' out for you?" asked Chris, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Mike shot a piercing glare at Chris. "I assure you, we are always doing everything in our power to ensure a safe and stable society for the entire Earth"

"I'm sure you are" Chris muttered. Mike glared at him for another two seconds, before turning towards the others.

"We'll be teleporting directly to SPD command. A trip by shuttle would take a good half hour, at least" Mike said, before pulling out and opening up a communicator device, "Alpha Squad Red to base, I have the Denver team. Requesting teleportation for six people"

_"Understood, Alpha Red. Stand-by for teleportation"_

Seconds later, the four rangers, Mike, and his assistant shot off into the sky, towards a large building in the center of the complex.

***

"Not even time for a tour" Erin mumbled, staring out the window, "Just 'zap', right into the tower"

The view was stunning, of course. Erin could see the entire city. From her view stretched the SPD complex, and further out, downtown NewTech City. Still, she wanted to explore a bit. It wasn't the same just seeing it from the top of a skyscraper. Behind her was a conference room, with windows consisting of the entire wall she was next to. A large horshoe table sat in the middle, lined with chairs, and several large TV screens (off) were situated at strategic locations.

"We're not here for a tour" Alex replied, grumpy as usual, "We're here for our orders"

Chris snorted. "Must be important orders, to make us wait here for over an hour"

"What's been with you, anyway?" asked Erin, "You've been grumpy the whole time we've been here"

Chris shrugged. "I'm just not that fond of foreign governments that come in the name of peace and cooperation, and then take away our say in things"

"Pardon?" asked Alex, "Last I checked, the alliance allows elections. We have a say in things"

Chris moved over to the window, a few panels over from Erin, "Tell that to the US, or the EU. Or China, or Russia. Or hell, the entire United Nations. They said 'no' to self-government in a pretty harsh way"

"The war" Erin said, suddenly understanding. "You're mad about the war"

"I lost my father, remember?" said Chris, "Battle of New York. I've never trusted SPD. Simply aliens that took control of Earth without firing a shot. Then when the shooting did start, it was too late"

Alex chuckled, "You honestly believe that the United Nations were the victim? It was nothing short of a full-scale rebellion"

"Wouldn't have happened had SPD simply let Earth secede from the alliance. Well, Earth and the other worlds that also rebelled. If I remember right, we weren't alone" said Chris, "Aquitar, Triforia, KO-35. And those are just the few I can name off the top of my head. That's more then a rebellion"

"You're right" said Alex, "that's anarchy"

"Wonderful" Jeff muttered, "politics debate on a war that ended ten years ago"

"Back to making bad jokes again, Jeff?" asked Alex, in a sneer, "Haven't killed enough people lately?"

Jeff looked as if he was about to launch himself at Alex, when Erin stepped in. "Knock it off, Alex. Stop being such a child!"

"Me?" asked Alex, "I'm the only one here who seems to have any ability to take charge of the situation! All you do is blab your identity to your parents and then threaten them"

"ALEX!" Erin shouted, "I am warning you!"

"Or what?!" Alex raised his voice in return. "You'll complain about me behind my back until you need me?! Big surprise there!"

"Do you *ever* get tired of being a pompous windbag?" asked Chris.

"I don't know" said Alex, "Why don't you tell me?"

"Ooh, *clever*" Jeff sneered, "Where'd you pick that one up, daycare?"

"Ahem" said a voice. The four teens turned to the door, to see a tall man, seemingly in his forties. He was clearly not human, his hair being green (although somewhat faded due to white hair), and a gem on his forehead. He wore a standard SPD uniform, one that signified that he was an upper-level officer. "I am commander Trax. Is…this a bad time?"

The four teens took a quick look at each other, then faced Trax again. "No, no. Nope, we're good here"

Trax frowned. "I find myself somewhat hesitant to send a troop into battle that may turn on itself"

Alex made a nod, "No need to worry about that, sir. I will command my unit to the best of my abilities"

"Hmm" Trax continued to frown as he moved past Alex, further into the room, "That's what I think I'm afraid of" he sighed, placing a folder onto the far end of the table, before turning back around to look at the rangers. "Still. Beggars can't be choosers"

"Sir, I assure you there is no problem" said Alex.

Trax sighed again. "Son, please don't lie to me. In case the green hair didn't tip you off, I'm Xybrian. Furthermore, you're a bad liar"

"…yes sir" Alex reluctantly replied. The other three resisted the temptation to laugh.

"Anyway" Trax opened the folder he had put on the table, "I apologize for the wait. We had another attempt by Venjix to tap into our systems. Nothing serious, but it did keep us busy. At any rate, I have your orders"

"And?" asked Alex.

"You are to help evacuate Mexico City"

Everyone's eyes widened. "…Excuse me?" asked Erin, in a bit of confusion and shock.

"I thought the front line was in southern Mexico" Jeff added, more then a little concerned.

Trax nodded reluctantly, and pulled out a remote. Pressing a button, he turned the largest screen on, and loaded up a war map. It was similar to the one Alex had shown on his computer the day before. "The press has, with our encouragement, magnified our victories. The truth is, while Operation Leprechaun has been pivotal in our war effort, we have not been able to regain any real measure of lost ground. As it stands, Venjix has been simply using large-scale offensives to burn through our forces. And as you know, it is harder to replace human life then it is to build a drone"

Trax took a moment to let the information soak in, before pressing a button. The map changed, with large red arrows extending from the red space that was machine territory, towards the blue space of SPD territory. "As of two hundred hours Eastern Time this morning, machine forces launched several large scale offensives focused on the weak points in our line. While our forces held them off for three hours successfully, they were eventually forced to fall back or risk being overrun. As we speak, allied forces are regrouping in Mexico City, hoping that the city gives them at least some cover"

The map changed again. The red spread northward, first just a finger, before expanding from coast to coast. Now the line was drawn across central Mexico, going straight through Mexico City.

"Commander" Erin spoke up, but softly, "We're not going to win this war, are we?"

Trax shut down the map, and cleared his throat. "To be honest…I'm not sure. We may yet win. The tables have not turned too far against us, and there is an entire interstellar alliance that has our back. Quarantine or not, they won't let one of their oldest member worlds fall. And our experts are working day and night for a solution"

No one replied.

Trax nodded again, "I know it sounds like empty promises, but in times like this, we must have faith"

"When do we leave?" asked Alex, changing the topic.

Trax turned to him, "Immediately, I'm afraid. We must get those civilians out of there. There are other teams at work down there, but we have precious little time before Venjix solidifies his control over the new territories and begins making his next push. Mike is waiting for you in the hallway. He will teleport you back to the parking bay, and direct you to your designated flight. Pilot Harris will take you to Mexico City. His VTOL is fueled and ready to go"

Alex nodded softly, and turned to walk out the door, his three teammates following him.

"Oh" Trax said, as the door opened, "And remember. Teamwork is your greatest ally. Without mutual trust and respect, you do not have a chance at survival. It is imperative you remember that"


End file.
